A 31-year-old man suspected of fatally shooting a 34-year-old man in the unincorporated Sun Village area near Palmdale has been arrested, authorities said last Friday. Andres Mateos was located by homicide deputies on Thursday in the unincorporated community of Rosamond in Kern County, just north of Lancaster and Palmdale, where he was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.
He was later booked and held on $4 million bail. Deputies responded around 9:30 p.m. on May 12 to reports regarding an assault with a deadly weapon near 150th Street and East Avenue R, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The victim was discovered by deputies lying unresponsive in a nearby dirt lot with multiple gunshot wounds, who was identified as Oscar Medina Partida. A 34-year-old woman injured in the shooting walked to a nearby fire station to alert personnel about the shooting.
She was treated by Los Angeles County Fire Department paramedics and taken to a hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. When paramedics arrived at the location where Partida was lying unresponsive, they pronounced him dead at the scene.
Further investigation revealed to homicide detectives that Partida and Mateos were involved in an argument moments before Mateos armed himself with a rifle and allegedly shot both victims before fleeing in an unknown direction.
Mateos has been charged by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office with one count each of murder and attempted murder. Anyone with information regarding the fatal shooting was urged to call the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or visit lacrimestoppers.org.